Friday, October 7, 2011

Fitness Check: October 7

The whole TGIF (Thank God it's Friday) thing takes on less meaning when you don't work a Monday through Friday schedule, but I'm thankful it's Friday just the same. It's been a long two weeks, and while next week will be a little harried, it won't be as bad as these last two. I'm definitely on the downhill slide into Advent when (according to the church ladies) things will ramp up again!

This week's First Friday Fitness Check is mostly fiscal, but our fiscal fitness efforts are leading to a nice physical fitness bonus--keep reading for that! Week two of of the $50 grocery budget and $25 combined restaurant budget went really well. In fact, we only spent $35 on groceries this week, including "big ticket" items like milk and juice. Of course, we're still working our way through all of the meat I bought last week, so we saved on that! J made an awesome chicken tortilla soup on Saturday that has lasted us both really well.

The only catch (for me, at least) is the McDonald's Monopoly Game. I have a bit of an addiction to those little paper game pieces that come on (among other things) their medium Diet Coke. I've easily spent half my restaurant budget at McDonald's this week, two thirds of that on Diet Cokes. I've never won anything from those little pieces of paper, and likely won't this year either (but I'm half way to a million dollars!). Last year, when I took the bus tour of the DAR Schools, I stood outside our bus after every McDonald's stop collecting pieces off the ladies' drink cups. If a collection of game pieces culled from every McDonalds in the southeast United States can't win me anything, a collection of game pieces culled from every McDonalds in southeast Lexington isn't likely to win anything either. I get that. I also get that I've got a touch of OCD for making things neat and orderly and complete (you should see me with a fresh bag of M&M's) and that for one month out of the year, I can at least try to complete the McDonald's Monopoly Board.

Now to reward you for that frightening foray into my head, I'll move on! I mentioned an unintended physical fitness consequence of our fiscal fitness efforts--by reducing the amount of food I'm eating out, I've lost a few pounds in the last two weeks! My portion sizes at home are always smaller than out (aren't everyone's?), and odds are I'm eating better stuff, too! Even without exercise this week, I'm thrilled to see a little downward movement on the scale!

So how was your week? Any luck eating less and moving more? Are you as crazy about the Monopoly Game as I am?